-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` My brothers . ''

That is how President Obama should begin one of the most significant speeches of his presidency : the commencement address at Morehouse College this Sunday . Addressing the historically black all male institution gives Obama an opportunity to rectify his strategic neglect of African-Americans . In this high-profile talk to his own demographic , the president has some explaining to do .

Obama 's identity as a black man is usually communicated subliminally , with the swag in his walk , the basketball court on the East Lawn , the sexy glances at the first lady , his overall cool . Now , however , comes the time to be explicit : to speak out loud his affiliation , his fraternal pride and concern . That 's the good work that calling us `` brothers '' would do .

In appearances before African-American audiences , the president sometimes sounds like he 's saying the wrong thing . He told the Congressional Black Caucus to `` stop grumbling , stop complaining , stop crying . '' In a Father 's Day talk at a black church in Chicago , he criticized `` too many fathers '' for `` acting like boys not men . ''

African-American men certainly could use an intervention from the most successful African-American man in history . They are on the bottom of many indicators of achievement . They suffer the highest level of incarceration , and the largest homicide rates , of any Americans . In urban areas , fewer than half graduate from high school . Their unemployment is among the highest in the country .

`` I 'm sorry I have n't done more . ''

The president has not spoken out forcefully against racial profiling and mass incarceration . He has not memorialized the mainly African-American victims of gun violence in Chicago the way he has memorialized the mainly white victims of gun violence in Newtown and Columbine . Asked why he had n't done more to remedy the catastrophic rate of African-American unemployment , Obama said , `` I ca n't pass laws that say I 'm just helping black folks . I 'm president of the entire United States . ''

`` Thank you for your support . ''

Nobody understands , like this audience will , the contortions a successful African-American man has to make to fit in but stand out , to be strong but not intimidate or frighten , to be black enough but not too black .

But in some ways the African-American community has been too understanding . Emanuel Cleaver , while chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus , said `` the president knows we are going to act in deference to him in a way we would n't to someone white . '' Politically it was not the smartest thing to say -LRB- the LGBT community did n't turn Obama into the most gay friendly president in U.S. history by going easy on him -RRB- but any black man could understand the sentiment . That 's why the African-American turnout for the president 's re-election was higher than the white turnout .

Now blacks who supported the president are doing exactly what other groups responsible for his victory are doing : waiting for him to return the favor .

`` We 've all got to do better . ''

The president is n't the only black man who needs to step up support of his brothers . My friend runs a mentoring organization for black boys in Prince George 's County , Maryland , the nation 's most affluent black community . There is a long waiting list of boys , mostly without dads in the home , and only about 10 active African-American male mentors .

President Obama provides , for Morehouse men and everyone else , a 21st century model of African-American masculinity . His oft stated support for women 's rights is a crucial component . The casual misogyny of some black popular culture , especially hip-hop music and videos , is a disgrace . It 's OK for the president to note that not every aspect of black male culture is praiseworthy .

`` That includes me . ''

The government 's primary intervention for black men is to lock them up . President Obama can not , on his own , reverse this course , but he can do much more than he has to disrupt the flow of the one in three young black men who are headed to prison . One example would be to speak in favor of decriminalizing marijuana , as have other politicians like New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo .

Black men are selectively arrested for marijuana crimes , and these arrests have a stigmatizing effect on future employment and earnings that redounds to the detriment of African-American families . Barack Obama was once a young black man who smoked pot , and it would be surprising if he actually believes that it 's fair for other young black men to be selectively prosecuted for that .

`` I am the most powerful man in the world , and I 've got your back . ''

Those are words profound enough to make a black man cry . I believe them to be true , but hearing them proclaimed out loud would be incredibly meaningful . African-American men feel a special kinship with this president . How inspiring it would be for the president to acknowledge this connection , in his words and in his actions . What a difference it might make for the millions of black boys who now are headed to destinies very different from graduating from Morehouse College or becoming president of the United States .

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Paul Butler .

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Paul Butler : At Morehouse commencement speech , Obama must show grads he 's a brother

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He says blacks have supported him even as they 've felt neglect as he 's balanced his role

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He says Obama should thank grads for support , provide role model of 21st century masculinity

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Butler : Obama must show he 's engaged on issue of disproportionate incarceration